Exposing the LASIK Scam

Using assembly-line-like procedures, TLC-employed optometrists oversaw initial testing procedures, pre-qualified patients for surgery, and then lined up surgical candidates upon whom Dr. Brint would fly in to operate. Surgery was performed on both of Judge Hoch?s eyes on the same occasion. By all accounts, Dr. Brint?s surgical technique was flawless. By Dr. Brint?s own candid admission, however, Judge Hoch never should have been operated on at all. The screening tests conducted by TLC and provided to Dr. Brint for review before surgery showed that Judge Hoch had a condition called keratoconus ? irregularly shaped corneas ? that disqualified him for LASIK surgery. Instead of improving Judge Hoch?s vision, the surgery triggered a series of worsening vision problems that led to legal blindness in one eye that could only be improved ? though not completely cured ? by a corneal transplant.

Following more than three years of litigation involving some of the top LASIK and vision correction experts in the world, and with a lengthy trial scheduled to begin in just weeks, TLC agreed to pay $900,000 to settle the portion of the case directed against it. Trial preparation for the case against Dr. Brint continued until a separate negotiated settlement was reached with Dr. Brint?s liability insurance carrier. The amount of the second settlement is confidential.